If you are new to seal coating the whole thing may seem like a complete mystery to you. You may be wondering why you even have to do this at all and whether you should engage a professional driveway paving contractor in Idaho to do it for you.

The decision whether to hire one of the many asphalt paving companies in Idaho or to try and do it yourself, remains your own.

Our guide will help to de mystify the process and make the decision a little easier!

WHY SHOULD I SEAL COAT?

Did you know that a well looked after asphalt driveway could last up to thirty years, before it needs replacing?

And if you don’t maintain it, it may need doing again in around ten years time?

Well, that should be motivation enough to want to keep your neat and new asphalt driveway in tip top condition. And there is no better way of maintaining it, than by seal coating it.

Seal coating is like applying wax to your car in order to maintain the paintwork. And it should be fairly easy to do on your own, if this is what you have decided.

BEFORE YOU APPLY A SEAL COAT

Repair Potholes First

It should be fairly evident that you need to repair any potholes to the driveway prior to using the seal coat. They may be dangerous, as well as unsightly.

Repair Cracks

Similarly, cracks will ruin the appearance of your driveway or path.

These will let water into your asphalt drive, which in turn can damage it badly. And then they will turn into potholes, over time!

Nip these in the bud with some asphalt crack sealer, before they get the chance to wreck your driveway!

Do Not Apply Seal Coat To A Dirty Surface

Think about seal coating like you would waxing your car. You would not apply it to a dirty car, so why would you seal coat a dirty driveway?

The drive needs to be thoroughly cleaned and free of grease or dirt, which might compromise it.

Some Tips On Cleaning The Asphalt

You Need

A Gas Blower Or Leaf Blower

Water And Hose

Degreaser

A Scrubbing Brush

A Little Elbow Grease!

First off, we do not recommend using a pressure washer to try and clean the driveway, prior to seal coating. This could actually make things worse, as the washer will drive the dirt down deeper into the asphalt.

Simply use a broom or if you have one, a leaf blower, to sweep all the debris out of the driveway.

If there are paint lines which are flaking everywhere, use a brush to bring the flaky particles off, so they don’t blow into the asphalt.

Use a degreaser on any stubborn areas and scrub it, leaving it to sink in for five minutes.

Allow the cleaned area to dry properly, so you can check that any troublesome stains have been eliminated properly.

CLEANING IS PART OF YOUR REGULAR MAINTENANCE

It is important to note that the cleaning you do prior to the seal coating of the asphalt is not to be regarded as some one off and rare event!

Even when you have gone ahead and applied the seal coat, this does not mean that you should stop there.

Once the driveway is successfully seal coated, it should still be cleaned regularly, as a matter of course.

Oil spills in particular still need very swift remedying and should be cleared away as soon as possible. This can damage your driveway considerably.

But also, snow, ice and any excess water should be carefully cleared away, as this can affect the performance of your asphalt driveway, also.